Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.
Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine performance.
Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.
Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured cover versions.
“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”
He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”
Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans
Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.
Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact
Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.
The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.
“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
The band had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.
The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.
The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.
Titles like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?
“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”
